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Program data communication systemRelated Patent Categories: Television Signal Processing For Dynamic Recording Or Reproducing, Processing Of Television Signal For Dynamic Recording Or ReproducingProgram data communication system description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070065093, Program data communication system. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a program data transmitter apparatus which transmits content data on a program such as a broadcasting program or a distributed program (referred to as a program data hereinafter), a program data receiver apparatus which receives transmitted program data, and a program data communication system which includes the program data transmitter apparatus and the program data receiver apparatus. Examples of the program data transmitter apparatus include a television receiver which receives broadcasting programs, a personal computer which has a function of receiving broadcasting programs, a cable television (referred to as a CATV hereinafter) set-top box which receives broadcasting programs or distributed programs, and a cache server apparatus which is connected to the Internet or the like, which receives program data from a content server apparatus, and which then transfers and transmits the received program data. Examples of the program data receiver apparatus include recording and reproduction apparatuses, such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) recorder, a CD (Compact Disc) recorder and a hard disc recorder, which receive program data and record the received program data into a recording medium such as an optical disc, a television receiver which receives and displays program data, and a portable terminal apparatus such as a cellular telephone which receives and displays program data. BACKGROUND ART [0002] Recently, accompanying with onset of digital television broadcasting in Japan, broadcasting programs have been transmitted and recorded as digital signals. In the present digital television broadcasting, scrambled broadcasting programs cannot be received unless an IC (Integrated Circuit) card which stores security information such as a terminal identification number or an identification indication (the identification number or identification indication is referred to as an ID hereinafter), a user name, a user ID, a password, and scrambling key information is inserted into an IC card insertion section. In addition, in case of pay broadcasting, broadcasting programs cannot be received unless an agreement of purchasing the pay broadcasting is concluded either online or offline and the agreement is registered in an IC card. The "IC card" means in the present specification every card that is a conditional access module required for descrambling program data. Examples of the card may include not only the IC card but also the other cards such as a PC card or the like. Concretely, they include CI (Common Interface) according to DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial) as the digital television broadcasting standard in Europe, a Cable CARD according to the Open Cable standard in North America, and an IC card according to ISDB-T (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial) as the digital television broadcasting standard in Japan. These CA modules are different from each other in physical specification and electrical specification, however, they are all security modules employed for descrambling and fall in a range of "IC card" according to the present specification. [0003] The Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-111613 discloses, for example, a storage type broadcasting receiver (referred to as a first prior art hereinafter) which receives and records signals distributed by multiplexing agreement confirmation information for judging whether or not each broadcasting receiver enables the user to view a program with scrambled program data. The broadcasting receiver according to the first prior art is constituted as follows so as to promptly notify correspondence between each program currently stored in the broadcasting receiver and an IC card which is to be used to reproduce each program, and for which an agreement is valid before the program is viewed. A program recording apparatus records data demodulated by an RF modulator in a scrambled state, and an agreement confirmation information filter extracts the agreement confirmation information multiplexed with each program from the demodulated data recorded in the program recording apparatus. A control section records the agreement confirmation information extracted by the agreement confirmation filter and an ID of the IC card in a specific region of the program recording apparatus while making them correspond to each other for every program. During the reproduction, the control section reads out the information recorded in the specific region of the program recording apparatus, obtains viewing conditions and the like for each program, and displays the viewing conditions and the like as well as the ID of the corresponding IC card on a screen. In other words, according to the first prior art, a method for indicating which IC card is to be used when the scrambled program data recorded in a recording medium such as a hard disc memory or the like is reproduced is disclosed. In addition, it is disclosed that the agreement confirmation information by which the ID of the IC card is made to correspond to each program is recorded in the recording medium, that the agreement confirmation information is referred to when the program data is read out, and that the necessary IC card is recognized. [0004] Further, the Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-064798 discloses, for example, a digital broadcasting receiver system (referred to as a second prior art hereinafter) which allows, when a plurality of digital broadcasting receivers based on a plurality of viewing agreements are used, the digital broadcasting receivers to exchange viewing agreement information, and which is intended to realize an appropriate viewing environment for a utilization situation of a viewer. Concretely, the digital broadcasting receiver system according to the second prior art includes a plurality of integrated receivers and decoders (referred to as an IRD apparatuses hereinafter) which are connected to each other or the like so as to be communicated with each other, and a viewing agreement information management server apparatus. An IC card is attached into an IC card slot of the viewing agreement information management server. When scrambling keys each for descrambling a program selected by each IRD apparatus or the like is provided from a plurality of IC cards, viewing agreements are exchanged based on information on viewing agreement target programs held by a viewing agreement information management section such as each IC card or the like, and this leads to selecting of an IC card corresponding to the selected program. That is, the second prior art discloses a method for exchanging the viewing agreement information between a server receiver and each IRD apparatus when the scrambled program is viewed among different IRD apparatuses. With this method, it is determined whether or not a viewer can view the selected program, and decoding information on the selected program is transmitted when it is determined that the viewer can view the selected program. In addition, when it is determined that the viewer cannot view the selected program, the decoding information on the selected program is transmitted, the transmitted decoding information is received and the decoded, and information is extracted. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENITON [0005] However, according to the first prior art, when a recording apparatus such as a DVD recorder or the like records the scrambled program, the IC card owned by the user based on the agreement with a broadcasting company is not inserted into the recording apparatus. When the IC card is inserted into a television receiver which serves as a receiver, it is disadvantageously impossible to record the program data. In other words, the user needs to insert the IC card into the receiver according to an indication, and to prepare a server apparatus which distributes program data. [0006] According to the second prior art, it is necessary to transmit a descrambling key through a network. Due to this, it is disadvantageously impossible to keep security. In addition, according to a limited reception system based on the Open Cable standard in North America or the DVB-T (Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial) standard in Europe, the IC card (which is actually a PC card) and a descrambler are constituted by a single CA module. As a result, it is disadvantageously impossible to construct the system according to the second prior art. [0007] Further, it may be considered that a second program receiver which can descramble program data is additionally connected to a first program receiver which cannot descramble the program data, and this leads to descrambling of the program data and viewing the program. However, it is disadvantageously impossible to make program channel select operations of the two program receivers uniform. [0008] Furthermore, when the receiver is moved and the user views the program, if a reception state of a broadcasting wave turns worse, it is disadvantageously impossible to descramble the program data, and therefore the user cannot view the program. [0009] It is a first object of the present invention to provide a program data communication system which can scramble program data and enables the user to view the program data only by inserting a security keeping IC card into one transmitter-side apparatus out of two apparatuses. [0010] It is a second object of the present invention to provide a program data communication system which can solve the above-stated disadvantages, which can keep security of security information, which can use a uniform program channel select operation, and which can scramble program data in a good reception environment to enable the user to view a program. [0011] According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program data transmitter apparatus including a distribution device, a descrambling device, a first communication device, and a second communication device. The distribution device receives or stores and distributes a plurality of pieces of program data, and the descrambling device descrambles at least one of the plurality of pieces of program data. In response to a notification request command signal from a program data receiver apparatus for requesting a notification as to whether or not at least one designated program data among the plurality of pieces of program data can be descrambled, the first communication device transmits a notification command signal including information as to whether or not the designated program data can be descrambled by the descrambling device to the program data receiver apparatus. The second communication device descrambles the designated program data in response to a transmission request command signal from the program data receiver apparatus for requesting that the designated program data be transmitted, and then transmits descrambled program data to the program data receiver apparatus. [0012] In the program data transmitter apparatus, the descrambling device preferably includes an insertion slot for inserting a card, and judges whether or not at least one of the program data can be descrambled based on presence or absence of the card stored in the card as inserted into the insertion slot. [0013] In addition, in the program data transmitter apparatus, the descrambling device includes an insertion slot for inserting a card, and judges whether or not at least one of the program data can be descrambled based on card identification information stored in the card as inserted into the insertion slot. [0014] Further, in the program data transmitter apparatus, the descrambling device preferably includes an insertion slot for inserting a card, and judges whether or not at least one of the program data can be descrambled based on a purchase status or an agreement status of a program stored in the card as inserted into the insertion slot. [0015] Furthermore, in the program data transmitter apparatus, the descrambling device preferably judges whether or not at least one of the program data can be descrambled based on predetermined membership information. [0016] Furthermore, in the program data transmitter apparatus, the descrambling device preferably generates a decoding key for decoding at least one of the program data based on master key information stored in the card, and decodes at least one of the program data based on a generated decoding key. [0017] In the program data transmitter apparatus, in response to a notification request command signal from the program data receiver apparatus for requesting a notification as to whether or not the at least one designated program among the plurality of pieces of program data can be descrambled, the first communication device preferably transmits a notification command signal for notifying whether or not a predetermined additional provided service related to the designated program data is purchasable to the program data receiver apparatus, receives a notification command signal for requesting purchase of the additional provided service from the program data receiver apparatus in response to the notification command signal from the first communication device, and transmits a notification command signal including information as to whether or not the program data can be descrambled to the program data receiver apparatus in response to the notification command signal from the program data receiver apparatus. [0018] In addition, in the program data transmitter apparatus, in response to a notification request command signal from the program data receiver apparatus for requesting a notification as to whether or not all of the plurality of pieces of program data can be descrambled, the first communication device preferably transmits a notification command signal including information as to whether or not the all pieces of program data can be descrambled to the program data receiver apparatus. [0019] Furthermore, in the program data transmitter apparatus, the first communication device preferably transmits and receives the command signals using an isochronous protocol, and the second communication device transmits the program data using an asynchronous protocol. [0020] According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program data receiver apparatus including a third communication device, a fourth communication device, and a fifth communication device. The third communication device transmits a notification request command signal for requesting a notification as to whether or not at least one designated program data among a plurality of pieces of program data can be descrambled, to a program data receiver apparatus. The fourth communication device transmits a transmission request command signal for requesting that the designated program data be descrambled and transmitted, in response to a notification command signal from the program data transmitter apparatus, the notification command signal including information as to whether or not the designated program data can be descrambled. The fifth communication device receives the descrambled program data from the program data transmitter apparatus. [0021] In the program data receiver apparatus, the third communication device preferably allows the program data receiver apparatus to receive a notification command signal from the program data transmitter apparatus for notifying whether or not a predetermined additional provided service related to the designated program data is purchasable, and transmits a notification command signal for requesting that the additional provided service be purchased to the program data transmitter apparatus in response to the notification command signal from the program data transmitter apparatus. Continue reading about Program data communication system... Full patent description for Program data communication system Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Program data communication system patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Program data communication system or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Multimedia projection apparatus and playing method thereof Next Patent Application: Video display device, and method for controlling reproduction of recording on recording medium of the device Industry Class: Television signal processing for dynamic recording or reproducing ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Program data communication system patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.19722 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Tyco , Unilever , Warner-lambert , 3m 174 |
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